Taxation Committee

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT TAXATION COMMITTEE - PAGE 4

By John W. Frece and John W. Frece,Sun Staff Writer Sun staff writer Jean Thompson contributed to this article | March 25, 1995

Attempting to soften the blow of his decision to kill a monthly subsidy program for the disabled poor, Gov. Parris N. Glendening yesterday asked the General Assembly to appropriate nearly $20 million to help former recipients find shelter, obtain medical care or receive federal assistance.The governor introduced a $64.5 million supplement to his original $14.5 billion budget, which lawmakers had pared to $14.3 billion earlier in the session, in part by cutting several spending initiatives that were priorities for Mr. Glendening.

ANNAPOLIS -- When state Sen. Ida Ruben voted "No" and killed a $430 million tax bill last Monday, she risked as much as $35 million in state aid for her county.But she also was wielding the sword of parochialism."The money won't go to anybody else either," the Montgomery County Democrat said.Legislators have always tried to bring home the bacon -- public works projects or a stream of dollars for schools, public safety and welfare.But this year, some lawmakers are just as worried about what the other guy is getting.

Stung by public backlash, a growing number of lawmakers are considering the repeal of a new law requiring that all Maryland homeowners apply for a tax credit they previously had received automatically. A bill heard yesterday by the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee would restore the automatic protection homeowners have had from being taxed for the full value of their homes when property assessments rise rapidly. Last year, the General Assembly unanimously approved the new law, which requires that all homeowners apply for the Homestead Tax Credit.

A legislative analyst told a state Senate committee yesterday that Maryland's request for bids for a lucrative new vehicle emissions testing contract does not appear to favor one potential bidder over another, despite accusations to the contrary from the firm that now has the contract."

By Howard Libit and David Nitkin and Howard Libit and David Nitkin,SUN STAFF | April 7, 2004

Pro-gambling lawmakers scrambled yesterday to assemble a significant tax package that could win approval from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and free the administration's slots bill for a long-sought vote in the House of Delegates. House Democrats insisted that no vote would come on legalizing slot-machine gambling until Ehrlich agrees to at least $500 million in new revenues. "The House position is: No taxes, no slots," said Del. Sheila E. Hixson, a Montgomery County Democrat and chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

By William Thompson and William Thompson,Eastern Shore Bureau of The Sun Timothy B. Wheeler of The Sun's metropolitan staff contributed to this article | January 26, 1992

EASTON -- State Sen. Laurence Levitan, opening his mail from an Ocean City resident, read this message: "No new taxes."He didn't think twice before jotting down his pointed reply: "No new sand."In its own small way, Mr. Levitan's zip-for-zap reaction underscores how many budget-badgered lawmakers feel about the state's role in funding future Ocean City beach projects.When state Department of Natural Resources officials go before a joint legislative budget committee Tuesday in Annapolis to discuss the effects of the Jan. 4 storm that pounded the shore, they will face strong opposition to spending more tax dollars on beach protection measures.

When Philadelphia-based Resources America Inc. sold the 30-story Alex. Brown Building in downtown Baltimore to a Miami firm last year, they structured the deal in a way that saved them an estimated $2.4 million in city and state transfer and recordation taxes. In 2002, the Rouse Co. used the same legal method to sell 11 shopping centers in Columbia to a New York company, depriving Howard County and Maryland of an estimated $2 million in tax revenues. Most big-ticket developers don't exchange real estate in the same way that homeowners do. Instead of buying property, they acquire ownership of a limited-liability company whose only major asset is property.

As state Sen. Ulysses Currie faces trial this week on federal corruption charges, his lawyer is expected to argue before a jury that the legislator's work on behalf of a grocery chain in Annapolis didn't constitute an illegal bribe but merely an ethical lapse. "The difference is very subtle sometimes," the lawyer, Joseph Evans, said at a recent hearing. "It's hard to know sometimes what the difference is. " Currie, a Democrat and former chairman of a powerful Senate committee, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Shoppers Food Warehouse over five years in exchange for securing meetings with top state officials and pushing favorable legislation for the company, headquartered in his Prince George's district.

Despite Senate opposition, Maryland House leaders said yesterday they will push for a cigarette tax increase this year as a way of financing new school construction, an increase in welfare benefits and an assortment of other programs and projects.House Appropriations Committee Chairman Howard P. Rawlings said committee leaders, with the backing of House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr., have agreed to push for a 12 1/2 -cents-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax.That is half the 25-cents-a-pack increase Gov. William Donald Schaefer has requested, but would still raise about $40 million in revenue by increasing Maryland's 36-cents-a-pack tax to 48 1/2 cents.

Elderly nuns made the pilgrimage. So did teen-age figure skaters. Music fans who are passionate about Mozart showed up. So did animal lovers who worry about hurt raccoons.All day Saturday and for six hours yesterday, hundreds of people from all walks of life lined up inside the Maryland Senate building the way petitioners might once have gathered outside a medieval castle.In the gloomy corridor, they waited patiently for a six-minute chance to appeal to a Senate panel for the same blessing: Money for their causes.